Chapter 537: Chapter 537

Jun Bao had originally wanted to meet the queen, but seeing how wary the other party was, he decided to take it slow and conduct his research gradually. Now that he possessed artificial wombs, he also had the Imperial Capital’s most advanced breeding techniques. He planned to cultivate several more queens to achieve large-scale reproduction.

From Brother Wen Jun’s words, it wasn’t hard to tell that these Abdominal Foot Worms had survived well in the apocalypse. Perhaps they were a new species that evolved and mutated in the post-apocalyptic world, much like the Dinosaur Chickens. They could eat anything during the apocalypse, and their by-products were good enough to form a decent food chain. However, unlike the Dinosaur Chickens, the Abdominal Foot Worms bred faster and matured more quickly; as a source of food, they could fill more people’s bellies.

Jun Bao considered their respective merits. If one had to compare their value, Dinosaur Chickens are more high-end, since eggs are a delicacy, while Abdominal Foot Worms are about quantity. He concluded their overall value was comparable.

Xiao Wei felt tempted; there was no food in these mountains, and her cravings grew. She looked pitifully at Brother Wen Jun, so she didn’t notice two Little Snakes slithering over along the wall in the pitch-black house.

In fact, nobody had noticed the room was cold and unlit; they could only vaguely distinguish human figures and their general forms in the dim light.

But Brother Wen Jun was adamant. "No way! You won’t be able to figure it out." He knew perfectly well that these people couldn’t, and besides, their village was the only place in the entire mountain range with Abdominal Foot Worms!

Xiao Wei sighed in disappointment and lowered her head.

"How about this: we exchange one egg? You name the price..." Jun Bao suggested, offering a compromise.

Seeing that this man seemed genuinely interested in their Abdominal Foot Worms, Wen Jun began to shoo them away. "No, no... We can’t—" Before he could finish, an unexpected event occurred. Something beneath the large bed’s blanket suddenly shot up...

At the same time, the two Little Snakes were also sent flying. They had no time to react to this sudden change before a monstrous pair of pincers from beneath the bed swiftly clamped down on them. Before anyone could understand what was happening, the Little Snakes were gobbled up by the maw in its lower abdomen, accompanied by CRUNCH, CRUNCH chewing sounds.

The huge blanket was knocked to the ground with a dull thud, revealing an appalling sight beneath the bed. Jing Shu, who could see clearly in the darkness, gasped, her mouth agape. She had lived for ten years in the apocalypse and had never witnessed such a phenomenon! Today, her entire worldview was violently shaken.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment.

The words Jun Bao wanted to say caught in his throat. Although the room was dim, he wasn’t blind. Such an enormous creature was right before his eyes, and he could see it clearly.

This was no sickly, legless girl lying in a large bed under covers. Now, without any disguise, everything was revealed.

What had looked like someone lying in bed was, upon closer inspection, nothing more than a hollow wooden frame. The girl’s upper body leaned against the bedframe, but her lower body was connected to a tremendous abdomen that occupied the entire bed area. Thirty-six legs, like those of a millipede, writhed along its sides, and two large pincers waved in the air, apparently still searching for food.

The bed was placed near the corner against the mountain wall because there was a huge cave underneath it. This cave teemed with the Abdominal Foot Worms Brother Wen Jun had mentioned. Some carried what appeared to be food, placing it into the mouthparts on the girl’s lower abdomen, just like worker ants ceaselessly transporting sustenance to the Ant Queen’s mouth.

Other Abdominal Foot Worms carried freshly laid eggs into the vast cave, likely into what they called the incubation room. No wonder the village was so large, yet there were no signs of insects—they were all beneath this cave under the mountain.

After being stunned for three or four seconds, Jing Shu quickly realized that the girl—half-human, half-insect—must be the Snail Queen Jun Bao had mentioned. The insect part of her lower body was clearly not under her control. Otherwise, the two Little Snakes that had just slithered in to investigate wouldn’t have been dealt with so publicly.

Wasn’t this exposing herself?

Moreover, it obviously looked like it had been grafted on. Jing Shu couldn’t understand how a person and an insect could merge. Judging from their earlier conversation, this Xiao Wei must have been a normal child before. The mutation must have started when the mountains changed, right?

Previously, her little insects were afraid of this place and somewhat uncontrollable. She had sent out a Little Snake, one fed Spiritual Spring water, to scout ahead. She had intended to assess the situation, but she never expected the Snail Queen to devour it like a snack...

Jing Shu picked up the still unconscious Yang Yang and began to retreat, pulling Jun Bao back with her. It seemed a fierce battle was imminent.

Wen Jun finally reacted, his heart pounding wildly. He hurriedly picked up the blanket, trying to cover Xiao Wei again, but his hands trembled terribly, as if his greatest secret had been discovered.

Monster! He recalled the word the first villager had used upon discovering Xiao Wei. For more than half a year, Xiao Wei had been reluctantly coming to terms with her situation, and now this had to happen...

"It’s okay, Brother Wen Jun. There’s no need to hide it anymore. They’ve all seen it. Get behind me; they can’t hurt me," Xiao Wei sighed deeply. After the lower half of her body had transformed into an insect, her vision had changed. She could clearly see these people’s reactions.

Guo Tou was already shouting as he ran outside, "Outsiders have discovered our secret! Arm yourselves! Grab the eggs and throw them at these people! Turn them into nourishment for the Snail Queen! No one leaves today!"

Jun Bao looked at Jing Shu, surprise written all over his face. "Jing Shu, did you see that? Xiao Wei is the Snail Queen! To think such wondrous things exist in the world! Her lower body is connected to such a colossal creature... This is symbiosis!"

"Now is not the time to focus on that, okay?!" Jing Shu said, a headache forming. Those two huge pincers moved with astonishing speed and precision. They had just snapped up and devoured the Little Snakes before they could react. This demonstrated it hadn’t lost its offensive capabilities, unlike creatures such as the Ant Queen, which often do.

She wasn’t afraid, but she worried these blockheads might foolishly charge in and get their heads pinched off and swallowed.

The commotion outside intensified suddenly. Jing Shu feared that these people were indeed going to try and implant eggs in them, the consequences of which would be quite troublesome.

"Xiao Wei, Wen Jun, don’t be nervous. We mean no harm..." Jing Shu hurriedly explained.

Xiao Wei looked calmly at Jing Shu. "You also have many little insects around you. The two snakes just now were yours, weren’t they?"

Snakes? Insects? Jun Bao and Wen Jun were both bewildered. Where are they?